The Empire Film Podcast

Latest Episodes:

VisionQuest: An Empire Podcast Preview Special (ft. Paul Bettany and James Spader) Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

VisionQuest, the latest MCU show to hit Disney+, launches tomorrow with a two-episode salvo which reintroduces us to Paul Bettany's Vision, or the latest version thereof. Last seen inhabiting a new (old) body in WandaVision, VisionQuest is partially concerned with Vision's attempts to emotionally connect with the memories of the android Avenger who once occupied that same body. Oh, and he also has to contend with a mysterious young man who may be his son, somehow, and also the return of James Spader's deliciously dapper and deadly Ultron, who's skulking around somewhere in Vision's mind palace. And for this preview interview special, Chris Hewitt sat down with both Bettany and Spader to talk about their MCU journeys, hats, an unexpected swear word, and the pronunciation of 'Edinburgh'. Enjoy.

The Interviews (ft. Aaron Sorkin; Paul Greengrass; John Cena & Jessica Biel) Oct 12, 2026

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Blimey, do we have a bumper edition of The Interviews for you, folks, as Chris Hewitt sits down in person with Aaron Sorkin to talk about the writer-director's return to the world of Facebook with The Social Reckoning; on Zoom with Paul Greengrass, the writer-director of period (but oh-so-timely) thriller The Uprising, about the Peasant Revolt of 1381 (and not, as it turns out, a Robin Hood movie); and in person again with Matchbox The Movie stars John Cena and Jessica Biel, who drop by the podbooth to talk about first impressions, firm handshakes, and leaps of faith. Three cracking conversations, all in one handy place. Enjoy!

25 Years Of S.S. Rajamouli: An Empire Podcast Interview Special Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

Today — October 10 — is a pretty special day for S.S. Rajamouli, the groundbreaking Indian director behind epics like the Baahubali films, Eega, and 2022's Oscar-winning breakout hit, RRR, whose astonishing, vibrant, endlessly inventive action sequences won the hearts of audiences the world over. Why is today special? Well, it's Rajamouli's 53rd birthday. Happy birthday, sir. And why is this year special? Because he's also celebrating an anniversary as a movie director, what with it being 25 years since he first stepped behind the camera on Student No: 1. And we thought we'd celebrate, not by sending him a cake, but John Nugent, who travelled earlier this year to Ramoji Film City, just outside of Hyderabad, to not only visit Rajamouli on the set of his latest and most ambitious film yet, Varanasi, but also sit down with him for an epic conversation about the director's career. Thanks to S.S. Rajamouli for being so generous with his time, and to Team Rajamouli for making this happen. Enjoy!

Paul Blart, 23, Quai Du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (ft. Andrew Garfield) Oct 09, 2026

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This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Andrew Garfield, star of Paul Greengrass' hard-hitting period epic, The Uprising, stop by the podbooth for a fun chat with Chris Hewitt about that new movie, The Social Network, and the time Garfield was told he was going to play Spider-Man. Either side of that, Chris is joined in the podbooth not by an A-lister, but by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer as they discuss their favourite Sylvester Stallone performances, tackle a ton of movie news including Skydance's completed takeover of Paramount and Warner Bros, and review The Uprising, Aaron Sorkin's Social Network companion piece The Social Reckoning, Sam Hargrave's Matchbox The Movie, Jennifer Peedom's Tenzing (full review to follow next week), and Ben Affleck's Animals. Enjoy.

A BFI London Film Festival Directors Roundtable (ft. Andrew Haigh, Ashley Walters, Carol Morley, Mark Cousins) Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

It's time, folks. No, not time to watch the magic pumpkin — that's a few weeks away — but instead to glory in the majesty of the BFI London Film Festival, which kicks off today in, erm, London, and will bring all kinds of movies to the capital city. Every year, we devote a special podcast to the LFF, and this year we've really pulled out all the stops, with a fantastic virtual roundtable special in which four directors, all of whom have films at this year's LFF, sit down on Zoom with Chris Hewitt and have a good old natter about their approaches to filmmaking, the importance of film festivals, and the importance of cataract surgery. And those filmmakers are: Andrew Haigh, director of All Of Us Strangers and now haunting Colorado-set drama, A Long Winter; Ashley Walters, the acclaimed actor turned director with his debut movie, prison drama Animol; Carol Morley, director of Out Of Blue, The Falling, and her new semi-autobiographical drama, 7 Miles Out; and Mark Cousins, the former host of Moviedrome turned documentarian, whose latest effort, The Story Of Documentary Film (1990s), does exactly what it says on the tin. It's a compelling roundtable that is by turns profound and hilarious, and we strongly urge you to listen to it before checking out the films and more at this year's LFF via whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff

Keep Loving Movies, And Hopefully They'll Love You Back (ft. Ethan Hawke) Oct 02, 2026

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The title of this week's episode of the Empire Podcast is a delightful phrase that comes from none other than our star guest, Ethan Hawke, who tells Jamie Graham all about his new film, The Weight, and how it was one of the biggest challenges of his storied career. Either side of that, Chris Hewitt is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann for a fun episode that asks the big question: are there any good short Best Picture winners? And then very quickly moves onto the biggest question of them all: why didn't Predator win Best Picture? The gang also tackle a ton of movie news, including the rumour that Jon Watts is going to direct Star Wars Episode X, and cast their collective eye over the Cruise/Iñárritu collaboration, Digger, British coming-of-age comedy Extra Geography, the aforementioned The Weight, and steamy-but-not-quite-as-steamy-as-Amon-would-like thriller, Verity. Do we love any of these movies? And will they love us back? To find out, have a listen. Enjoy!

The Interviews (ft. David Kittredge on Boorman And The Devil; Padraic McKinley on The Weight) Sep 30, 2026

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This week's episode of The Interviews is all about editors-turned-directors. First, we have an extended interview between Chris Hewitt and David Kittredge, the director behind the excellent documentary, Boorman And The Devil, which chronicles the wild making of John Boorman's legendary-for-all-the-wrong-reasons sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic, and even rehabilitates the film's reputation somewhat. That film is in cinemas right now. After that, Jamie Graham has a fun chat with Padraic McKinley about his debut film, the gritty Ethan Hawke period thriller The Weight, which is out in cinemas this Friday. Enjoy!

Stark-Spangled Banner (ft. guest, David Ayer) Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is all about birthdays, folks. Partially because Chris Hewitt just had one, but also because this week's listener question asks our Three Colleagues Of Such Lethal Cunning — Chris, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer — to discuss the best movies released on their birthdays. The answers will shock and, in one case, depress the hell out of you. Elsewhere, our intrepid trio — joined by this week's workie, Grace — discuss a number of trailers, including The Further Misadventures Of Cliff Booth, and compare audiobook casts for starriness; and review David Ayer's Brad Pitt-and-dog survival thriller, Heart Of The Beast, the new version of Sense And Sensibility, rom-com The Love Hypothesis, Exorcist II documentary Boorman And The Devil, and Na Hong-jin's gonzo South Korean action movie, Hope. And speaking of Heart Of The Beast, that film's director, David Ayer, sits down on Zoom for a lovely natter with Chris. He's a good director, Brant. 14/10. Enjoy.

Witches, Leave (ft. guests, Zach Cregger & Austin Abrams) Sep 18, 2026

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Which witch is which? And more importantly, which witch is best? That's the big question on the lips of the Empire Podcast team this week, as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer discuss their favourite movie witches, and ask if the Blair Witch is even a witch at all (we wouldn't say it to her face, mind). Speaking of witches, Zach Cregger created a truly memorable one last year with Aunt Gladys in Weapons, and now the director is already back with his latest movie, a reimagining of the survival horror video game Resident Evil, and Chris has a fun Zoom with Cregger and his star, Austin Abrams. Oh, and Chris, Helen and James also look at the week's movie news, featuring a whole bunch of trailers and an unexpected Vin Diesel Instagram post, and review Resident Evil (or, in Chris' case, the first 30 minutes), Bad Apples, In The Grey, Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom, and Pulp: What Do You Do For An Encore. Packed to the gills with poddy goodness, this one. Enjoy.

The Interviews (ft. Jarvis Cocker, Susanne Bier) Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

This week's episode of The Interviews is different class, folks. First up, Chris Hewitt has a lovely Zoom with Jarvis Cocker — yes, THE Jarvis Cocker — as the Pulp frontman and all-round legend talks about the band's new movie, the Garth Jennings-directed Pulp: What Do You Do For An Encore, which is in cinemas for ONE DAY ONLY, Friday September 18 (today, in other words), before heading to MUBI from September 25. So have a listen to this, and then catch it if you can. After Jarvis exits the building, Helen O'Hara has a one-to-one with the Danish director Susanne Bier about her new movie, Practical Magic 2, which is conjuring up a storm at the box office right now. Enjoy.

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